Description: A walkthrough of the Conqueror Path of tnu84's Legend of Lu Bu, a Legend of Cao Cao mod. This walkthrough is based on Lady Wu's English translation of the game. Story synopsis and spoilers galore.

This is a walkthrough for the Conqueror Path of the Legend of Lu Bu, a Legend of Cao Cao mod created by tnu84 of the XYCQ forum community. The storyline picks up from after Lu Bu escapes from Cao Cao's pursuit in Hebei, and makes a decision on whether he should focus on becoming the most powerful person in the realm so he can set things right, or whether he should focus instead on creating a world of peace where power does not dictate everything. Choosing "to become more powerful" leads to the Conqueror storyline of the game.

Conqueror Path

In Xiliang, Ma Teng receives news that Lu Bu plans to join his force. Despite Pang De's protestations, Ma Teng is bent on taking Lu Bu in, partly out of trust of Ding Yuan's judge of character, and partly so that Lu Bu may help him defend against Liu Zhang and Cao Cao. While waiting for Lu Bu to arrive, Ma Teng decides to conquer Hanzhong, in order to block the Riverlands' supply routes. He insists on marching himself even though Ma Dai and Ma Chao volunteer to go in his stead. After Ma Teng leaves, Ma Yunlu barges into the room, demanding that Ma Chao take her on a trip to the south, saying that it's too boring at home. Ma Chao, taken aback, tells her that it's too dangerous to go anywhere, and orders her to go back to the family house. Ma Yunlu takes off in a huff.

Meanwhile, Lu Bu finds out that Gao Gan is being pursued by Cao Cao's forces, who does not yet know that Wen Chou is dead. Even though Ju Gu would like to go to his friend's aid, Zhang Liao points out that they won't make it in time. Lu Bu vows to avenge Gao Gan should anything happen to him, and continues with the plan to go to Xiliang. Chen Gong reports that Guo Jia is ill and most of Cao Cao's troops are going after Liu Bei, so they shouldn't have to worry about anything else but Jia Xu in their attempt to leave Chang'an. Or should they...?

Conversation:Diaochan vs. Jia Xu - *note: this event is a prerequisite for a later event

Event:At round 5, Guo Jia, Li Dian, Yue Jin and the tacticians mob will appear at the lower right corner. Lu Bu's Attack increases to 255, and he charges straight through Li and Yue, who withdraw from battle.

Items: Rice x 1Beans x 4Cure-all x 1Black Robe (defeat Guo Jia)

Notes:

Ma Yunlu gives great battle advice, but she's a bit foolhardy herself and will charge straight at the enemy without regard to her own safety. Therefore, ignore her formation advice and position your units in a way that would block her from going anywhere. Leaving a friendly unit for her to cast Transport on is also a good way of making her stay put. Jia Xu's forces aren't overwhelming in number, so by round 5 you should have most of them cleared.

When Lu Bu automatically moves to meet the tactician mob at round 5, I would advise pulling him back so that you get more support--even though Lu Bu is now able to kill two strategists in one move, the remaining strategists are enough to defeat him on the enemy turn. Lu Bu has a terrain bonus on hills but being on a hill makes him vulnerable to nasty earth-based tactics such as Boulder.

Ma Teng takes Lu Bu in, and tells Lu Bu the good news of Liu Bei's escape. In Xuchang, Guo Jia dies after recommending Cao Cao to summon Jia Xu back, and suggesting that Chang'an could be lost. Back in Xiliang, Ju Gu and Chen Gong report to Lu Bu that Gao Gan was attacked by Zhang He and Cai Mao, and was destroyed. Ju Gu pleads Lu Bu to avenge Gao Gan. Chen Gong also reports that Guo Jia died.

Guo Jia's death leaves Chen Gong slightly irritated. He confides to Diaochan that he regrets not being able to settle the score with Guo Jia, but Diaochan tells him that he has done very well already in spite of the circumstances, and that what he has done is more important than how he measures up to Guo Jia.

Wei Xu runs into Cao Xing in the streets of Xiliang. They get into an argument about who's the better archer, Cao Xing or Song Xian, and decide to have a contest to settle the argument. The Trio is to design a bow and Cao Xing another, and everyone else will get to ajudicate. When Song Xian finds out about this, he is not pleased (since he himself agrees with Cao Xing's assessment that Cao Xing is the better archer), but Hou Cheng convinces them to start putting their heads together to come up with a good bow.

During this time, Sun Ce and Liu Biao died. Sun Quan takes over the Southlands and Liu Bei and Cai Mao begin to fight over Jingzhou. Liu Bei finds Xu Shu to be his adviser and as a result Cai Mao is quickly defeated. Cao Cao authorizes Cheng Yu to use Xu Shu's mother to lure him away from Liu Bei, and discusses whether he should summon Jia Xu back at this time. Cheng Yu advises against it, wanting a chance to prove himself.

Back in Xiliang, Diaochan and Ma Yunlu are hanging out, while Ma Chao shows up and scolds his sister for leaving the Family House and for bothering Diaochan. Ma Yunlu runs off. Ma Chao tells Diaochan that his mother died in a blizzard while doing battle with the Qiang tribe. That incident traumatized Ma Yunlu, and the girl fell ill out of grief and became unable to practise martial arts. Instead, she focused on studying military strategy from then on. Diaochan wonders if Ma Yunlu truly enjoys studying strategy, since it was in a military campaign that her mother died.

Ma Teng invites Lu Bu to help him invade Zhang Lu's Hanzhong.

Xu Shu leaves Liu Bei to join Cao Cao, after recommending Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei. Liu Bei hires Zhuge Liang to be his strategist, and manages to deal Xiahou Dun a defeat at Bowang Slope. Cao Cao is forced to march south himself and Liu Bei flees to Jiangxia to join forces with Sun Quan in a bid to stop Cao Cao's invasion.

With Cao Cao tied up in the east, Lu Bu and Ma Teng is now free to expand their territory. Prepare to kick the incompetent Zhang Lu out of Hanzhong!

Notes:Zhang Ren's contingent will charge out of their pass, while the units at the other pass stay put. So focus your strength on defeating the southern contingent first, before attacking the eastern pass. Area fire tactics are your friends here. After getting through the eastern pass, make sure Ma Teng is well-covered until Lu Bu finds Yang Song's treasure (it could be any friendly unit, but Lu Bu's the fastest). Ma Teng tends to charge straight into where the action is, but if he is defeated, you will not get either the 5000 gold or the seal.

To end the stage, simply let any friendly unit enter Zhang Lu's city. The worm Yang Song will murder his own lord and hand the city over.

Yang Song claims that he killed Zhang Lu for the sake of the commoners. Ma Teng buys his story and lets him stay. Ma Dai then comes in to report that Cao Cao's forces were wiped out at Chibi by Wu.

Song Xian comes up with a way to win in the bow contest. Hou Cheng thinks it's dishonourable, but Song Xian convinces him that they have no other choice. In the bow contest, which Ju Gu is the emcee for, the audience considers Cao Xing's bow to be more useful (Mute attack) but eventually pronounces the Trio's bow (Numb attack) to be the winner since it is named after Lu Bu. Li's Bow and Lu Bu's Bow are added to the inventory.

Yang Song reveals to Ma Teng a list of names of the spies Jia Xu planted in Xiliang. Ma Dai verifies the list, and Ma Teng, pleased with Yang Song's contribution, grants him access to the Ma Family House.

In Chang'an, Xu Huang and Yu Jin arrive to help Jia Xu. Jia Xu tells them that he has bribed Yang Song and made him reveal his agents in Xiliang, in order to buy Ma Teng's trust. Jia Xu has developed a poison which Yang Song will use to drug everyone in the Ma Family House, where the Ma clan resides.

Sun Quan is attacking Hefei and most of Wei goes to repel the Wu attack. Xuchang is emptied. However, instead of attack Xuchang, as Ma Dai suggests, Ma Teng decides to make a trip to Xuchang in order to coordinate with the Han loyalists there. He reasons that Cheng Yu, who's in charge of Xuchang now, wouldn't do anything to him since he would be wary of a retaliatory attack from Xiliang.

Ma Yunlu has a bad feeling about all this, though. She's afraid that her father will be gone forever, just like her mother. Diaochan charges that Ma Yunlu only learned strategy so that she could protect her loved ones, but the girl protests that she never gets a chance to help them on the battlefield. Diaochan tells her that she must let her family know her true feelings. Ma Yunlu changes the subject and asks Diaochan never to leave Lu Bu.

Ma Teng arrives in Xuchang. Cheng Yu confirms Ma Teng's "plans of sedition" and orders someone to kill him at once. His aide points out that the act would only anger Ma Chao, but Cheng Yu, bitter at Jia Xu being Cao Cao's favourite, goes ahead with the plan anyway.

Back in Xiliang, the junior Mas are discussing the news of Liu Bei entering Shu to "help" Liu Zhang, when Pang De rushes in and announces that Ma Teng was executed in Xuchang. Ma Yunlu drops in a swoon. She is treated by Hua Tuo, but Diaochan tells Ma Chao that Yunlu's true injuries are not physical. Ma Chao asks Diaochan if she hates Jia Xu too, but Diaochan replies that hatred only begets more hatred. Ma Chao is not moved by her philosophizing and plans to attack Cao Cao anyway. Lu Bu joins Ma Chao in the campaign, and they march out to Tong Pass.

Notes:Even though you get to select Zang Ba, Wei Xu, Hou Cheng, and Hua Tuo in the deployment screen, they will not participate in the battle (Lu Bu sends them to detour around the mountains and attack the enemy from the rear, but guess what, Zang Ba gets lost...).

Focus on the east gate first, with the help of Ma Chao's chariots. Trigger the Diaochan/Jia Xu conversation as soon as possible, then send Diaochan back north along with Lu Bu in order to deal with the enemy reinforcements that arrive on round 5. Defeat the magicians first and you should have no problem cleaning out the northern contingent. Things can get a bit more hairy in the middle where you have to protect Pang De and Yu Jin long enough for them to duel, but you can use the eastern gate as a buffer if necessary.

Zang Ba explains that he lost his way, but by chance they encountered some peasants growing a special plant for Jia Xu. Hua Tuo has collected some samples and says he will begin researching the property of the plant.

Things seem to be going badly for Jia Xu. Not only did Xuchang provoke Ma Chao's attack, but also recalled Xu Huang. Only a company of Tiger Cavalry is sent to reinforce Chang'an, and by the looks of things Chang'an must fall, even if Jia Xu mobilizes the Qiang to draw away part of the Xiliang forces. Xun Yu runs at this juncture, despite his ill health, and relays to Jia Xu Guo Jia's last words--"Chang'an can be lost". Xun Yu dies after remarking that Cheng Yu never behaved like this before Jia Xu joined Wei.

The Qiang attacks, and Ma Chao and his men turn back to engage them. Pang De is left behind to give Lu Bu a hand in conquering Chang'an.

Ma Chao makes a brief stop at home before marching off again, and Ma Yunlu begs him to let her join them. Ma Chao refuses harshly and leaves, but Ma Yunlu, remembering Diaochan's advice, goes after him and tells him the truth behind her obsessive studies in strategy. Ma Chao relents and promises to let her join them as soon as her health is recovered, and that he would take care of her until she gets married.

The Qiang isn't Jia Xu's last ploy, though... In Xiliang, Yang Song leads a group of Wei troops to attack the Ma Family house...

Notes:A really quick battle if you're not after the recovery items. Make sure Lu Bu has Red Hare equipped. On the first round, have Hua Tuo cast Haste on him and let him make a bee-line for Jia Xu. Diaochan should follow him as much as she can to undo any status ailments. The enemy rarely blocks his path, and he should make it to a square adjacent to Jia Xu by round 4. This triggers the duel (well, it's not in the duel screen) and the stage is won.

It's not that bad either if you're going after the recovery items. Just deal with the tacticians one group at a time, and use Ju Shou to change the weather to rain so as to avoid being fried by the enemy strategists.

Ma Chao is just about to deal the final blow to the Qiang, when Ma Dai reports a black alert from the Family House. They retreat hurriedly--just to find everyone at home dead as dead can be, except for two people. Yang Song, appearing to be drugged as well, tells them that Lu Bu charged in with a group of "monsters" and killed everyone in sight, after getting them poisoned somehow. He makes a convincing case based on Lu Bu's past history and the fact that Lu Bu is the only non-clan member with access to the Family House with the exception of Yang Song himself. Yang Song is just thinking to himself how he would be rewarded by Jia Xu after this is over, when he realizes that the "fake drug" he took in order to play the part isn't fake at all...

The other person still holding onto life is Ma Yunlu, but she dies soon after Ma Chao and Ma Dai find her. Ma Chao, devasted, attempts to force the poison out of her body by using his internal energy, but it backfires and Ma Chao sustains some internal injuries. His right arm is disabled in the process as well. Pang De is certain that Lu Bu is the culprit, since he has found the poison in Lu Bu's camp (the result of Hua Tuo's experiments).

Chen Gong reports to Lu Bu that Liu Bei launched a coup and took over the Riverlands. All of Liu Zhang's subordinates submitted to him, except for Zhang Ren. Guan Yu is left to defend Jingzhou. In other news, it appears that Cao Cao and Sun Quan may sign a truce soon; Lu Bu must attack Xuchang swiftly before Cao Cao's return.

Cao Xing runs in and reports that the Ma clan was wiped out and Ma Chao, holding Lu Bu responsible, is attacking. Diaochan is devasted after finding out that Ma Yunlu died as well. Lu Bu leaves Zhang Liao and the Trio to defend Chang'an while he and the others go meet Ma Chao in combat outside the city.

Notes: The fort is in way worse condition than it is in Legend of Cao Cao, so abandon it and meet the enemy at the bank of the river. Chariots have a 110% terrain bonus on snow and a 80% terrain penalty in water, so use that to your advantage. Put Zang Ba on a dirt square to avoid the 80% terrain penalty as well. The ford is a bit wider than it is in LoCC, but it shouldn't be a problem if you keep your tacticians behind your melee units. Make sure to take out the enemy units a whole unit at a time--the enemy geomancers can get annoying!

Ma Dai tries to persuade Ma Chao to go to the Riverlands and ask Liu Bei to help avenge them. Ma Chao doesn't seem to hear him, but asks him to go get some ice.

Ma Chao ends up in Shu anyway. Lu Bu takes control of Xiliang. Zhou Yu dies, and Cao Cao, eager to return to Xuchang, signs a secret pact with Wu to split Jingzhou between them.

Cao Cao returns to Xuchang. Cheng Yu offers to brief him, but Cao Cao says he knows what happened already. Cheng Yu gets nervous, thinking that Cao Cao would call him on causing Jia Xu and Xun Yu's death, but Cao Cao, for some reason, lets him off without a single question.

With Cao Cao back in Xuchang, Lu Bu has no more chance in attacking Wei. Diaochan is still not feeling well, Liu Bei may launch an attack on them soon, and the Qiang are restless. Chen Gong proposes that they withdraw to Xiliang. Lu Bu consents, and leaves Zhang Liao to guard Chang'an and to take care of Diaochan.

Before leaving Chang'an, Lu Bu and Diaochan pay a visit to Wang Yun's grave. Lu Bu thinks Wang Yun would be pleased that they avenged him by taking Chang'an and killing Jia Xu, but Diaochan is of the opinion that her foster father would be more pleased if they had restored the Han.

Meanwhile, Hua Tuo is taking a stroll in Chang'an while he overhears two farmers praising Guan Yu and naming Hua Xiong as one of the evildoers cut down by Guan Yu. They also note how Guan Yu singlehandedly repelled Wei and Wu's invasion of Jingzhou.

Event:At round 10, news arrive about the fall of the granary at Xiegu, causing the enemy’s Spirit to increase.

Notes:Unit placement is crucial in this one. The top left contingent must be able to hold off Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun's attack until Lu Bu makes it up there to duel Zhang Fei, and the main camp on the east hill must be able to wipe out Liu Bei's group swiftly. Here is the mapping of the unit assignment order (starting with the first unit after Lu Bu) and the placement on the map:

1. East hill, north tent2. East hill, east tent3. East hill, south tent4. East hill, west tent5. Central hill6. South hill7. City in the north8. Northwest area, east gate9. Northwest area, south gate10. Southewst gate

I would recommend putting Hou Cheng and either Gao Shun or Wei Xu in the northwest area, equipped with the best defence-boosting gear you have (the Bk of Healing is nice too if you have it).

On the first round, the two units in the south should abandon their positions since they will not be able to hold off the onslaught of Shu heroes. Everyone else focus on wiping out Liu Bei's puny group (remember to duel Huang Zhong with Lu Bu). By this time, Ma Chao and Ma Dai should have caught up with you. Careful that you bring their health down before triggering the conversations, since their Attack and Defence will both increase after they talk to Lu Bu. After the centre is under control Lu Bu can go off to duel Zhang Fei and help Hou Cheng defeat the Shu troops in the northwest.

In a move that shocks the realm, Cao Cao declares himself emperor. Zhuge Liang comments on the strangeness of this move--Cao Cao hardly has any reasonable motivation to take the throne at this point. Regardless, Zhuge Liang convinces Liu Bei to declare himself emperor as well, so that the Han may be continued. Following suit, Sun Quan declared himself King of Wu as well.

Wei Xu suggests that Lu Bu declare himself king as well, but Lu Bu laughs at the idea, stating that they don't even have the power to withstand another attack from Liu Bei. Chen Gong proposes that they abandon Xiliang and go to the north, but Zhang Ren points out that they may be able to exploit Liu Bei's weakness--hatred. Hua Tuo comes up with an idea--he'll go poison Guan Yu and cause Liu Bei to put the blame on Wei and Wu, and thus shifting his attention away from Lu Bu.

Hua Tuo poses as a travelling doctor and treats Guan Yu's battle wounds, giving him a "medicine" to take. This drug makes him so weak that he is defeated by Wu, who sends his head to Wei in order to divert Liu Bei's anger. The move is in vain, though, as Liu Bei empties his state to attack Wu anyway. In the battle, Liu Bei falls for Lu Xun's fire ruse; Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Huang Zhong all die in that battle.

Cao Cao falls ill at the same time too, and both Wei and Shu are in chaos. Lu Bu takes this opportunity to transfer Zhang Liao back (taking Diaochan with him). As soon as he returns to Xiliang, Zhang Liao gets into a quarrel with Hua Tuo over Guan Yu's death. Lu Bu breaks up the fight, telling Zhang Liao that he gave Hua Tuo permission to do so.

Back at home, Lu Bu faces his own quarrel with Diaochan, who states that Lu Bu has destroyed Hua Tuo by letting him act on hatred. Lu Bu counters that they had no choice in this dog-eat-dog world. Diaochan calls him on his own insecurity.

Zhuge Liang summons Ma Dai and Ma Chao to show them a portrait of the physician who treated Guan Yu. Ma Chao recognizes the man as Hua Tuo right away. With the truth behind Guan Yu's death revealed, Zhuge Liang decides to ally with Wu in order to fight Wei and Lu Bu. Before leaving to fight Lu Bu, Zhuge Liang goes to the palace to notify Liu Shan, and promises to take care of administrative affairs as well while on the campaign.

Chen Gong presents Jiang Wei to Lu Bu. Despite his mind wandering off to wonder about Ma Yunlu (whom he has never met but whose name he has heard of), he comes across as a young man brilliant in both fighting and in administration. Ju Shou comes in to report that both Zhuge Liang and the Qiang are attacking, and Lu Bu decides to deal with the Qiang himself while leaving a smaller contingent to hold off against Zhuge Liang. Wei Xu volunteers for the task and Lu Bu sends Jiang Wei to go to Tianshui with Wei Xu.

The Qiang is finally subjugated, and news arrive that Tianshui is successfully defended against Zhuge Liang due to Jiang Wei. Zhuge Liang is impressed by Jiang Wei's skills, but will not give up the attacks--you'll get to help Wei Xu prove to the world that he's the top warrior in Lu Bu's ranks again!

Duels: Wei Xu vs. Zhang Bao - *note: this is a prerequisite to a later event

Item:Rice x 1

Notes:Right before the battle, Zhuge Liang convinces Jiang Wei that Lu Bu is an evildoer and causes Jiang Wei to withdraw from battle. So you really only get the Trio, Zang Ba, and Ju Gu in this stage. But you also won't have to deal with Zhuge Liang or Zhao Yun.

Nobody I know likes this stage. It is painful and full of necessary use of "save/load magic". But this is the best way to deal with this stage that I know of:

Hopefully you'll have decked people out in defence gear, and have a lot of recovery items on hand. Keep Wei Xu in the castle as all the enemy horsebows will go for him. He's way too vulnerable to use as a frontline unit in this stage, so he'll probably be spending his time feeding people recovery items (though make sure he gets his duel with Zhang Bao). Have Song Xian and Ju Gu on either side of him to deal out some long-distance damage. However, Ju Gu will most likely be working as a healer full-time in this stage. Zang Ba can stand in front of Wei Xu to cast Jeer and throw some melee damage in, and Hou Cheng should stand in front of Zang Ba to absorb damage.

Cao Cao dies without naming an heir. Xiahou Dun and Cheng Yu, the only two left of the Wei senior staff, reckon that Cao Cao would have allowed his sons to duke it out among themselves anyway, as a way of a final test.

Lu Bu is forced to withdraw to the north after falling for Zhuge Liang's traps repeatedly. At this time, it is announced that the new emperor of Wei is Cao Pi, instead of Cao Zhi, which is who everyone has expected.

In Shu, Ma Chao tries to talk Jiang Wei into joining the Shu army, saying that Jiang Wei is the only one who can keep Lu Bu in check in terms of fighting prowess. He even promises to teach Jiang Wei the coveted Ma Family Polearm Style, if Jiang Wei consents. Jiang Wei, however, thinks about how well Lu Bu has treated him, and is hesistant. Ma Chao leaves angrily.

Ma Dai then comes in and sneaks Jiang Wei to where Ma Yunlu's body is kept cryonically. Jiang Wei falls in love with Yunlu right away, and asks Ma Dai to tell him more about the girl. After learning more about Ma Yunlu and the Ma family's version of what happened, Jiang Wei voluntarily joins Shu in order to defeat Lu Bu.

Lu Bu and his advisers discuss the unexpected turn of events in Wei, and Ju Shou suggests that a strategist called Sima Yi may be crucial to Cao Pi's ascent. Just as they are wondering about the details, Sima Yi shows up to negotiate a secret alliance against Shu. Lu Bu agrees to the proposal.

Diaochan, obviously, is not thrilled with the alliance with Wei, since it means giving up the idea of restoring the Han. Lu Bu argues that the alliance is necessary for their survival, and that there is no point in reviving the Han anyway since there is no good candidate for a Han emperor. Diaochan leaves, after saying that she shouldn't have placed the burden on Lu Bu's shoulders in the first place.

Sima Yi returns to Xiliang--he is all the reinforcements Lu Bu can expect from Wei. He points out that Lu Bu has made too many enemies in Wei (or have killed them), and no one else could be sent. Nonetheless, he has his own way for helping Lu Bu--in telling them where the Shu supply line is: Jieting.

News of Lu Bu's advance on Jieting reaches Zhuge Liang's camp. Ma Su doesn't understand why it matters, but Jiang Wei sees right away the strategic importance of Jieting. Ma Su then volunteers to defend Jieting, but it is Jiang Wei who comes up with a strategy for holding off Lu Bu's attack. Ma Dai muses to himself that Jiang Wei is much more than just a warrior.

Back in Lu Bu's camp, Chen Gong reports that Sima Yi is not a trustworthy man--he engineered Lady Zhen's execution so as to cause Cao Zhi to be too downhearted to run against Cao Pi.

Meanwhile, Diaochan is at Wang Yun's grave, lamenting that she does not know what to do anymore, or whether her convictions are correct anymore...

Lu Bu vs. Zhang Bao (retreat) - *note: this will only occur after the Wei Xu/Zhang Bao duel at Tianshui, and is a prerequisite for a later event.

Conversation:Chen Gong vs. Mi Zhu

Items:Beans x 2Rice x 1

Note:The enemy defence is lowered at the beginning of the stage, making your life a lot easier.

Send about half your units (including Chen Gong) eastward to deal with Mi Zhu's contingent (and trigger the dialogue with Mi Zhu), while the other half move northward slowly, covering Sima Yi. Sima Yi has insanely high defence but it doesn't mean he can hold off a whole group of Shu units by himself. Make sure you lure the units out of the forts and villages so that you can pick up the recovery items (crucial for obtaining seal).

Lu Bu successfully cuts Zhuge Liang's supply route and forces him to retreat. Zhao Yun covers the Shu retreat. In a trail outside of Xiliang, Diaochan encounters some peasants who are fleeing Xiliang, fearing that the Shu army will attack again and Lu Bu wouldn't be able to hold off a second time.

Lu Bu wants to seize this opportunity to crush the Qiang once and for all, and he wants to do it himself despite Diaochan's asking him to send someone else to do it. Lu Bu figures that Diaochan may be leaving him soon.

And sure enough, once he departs to fight the Qiang, Diaochan leaves, without saying goodbye to Lu Bu. Chen Gong reasons that Diaochan is doing this so as to protect Lu Bu from the complications of living with someone with opposing convictions, and from the awkwardness of parting.

This even apparently is a huge blow to Song Xian, who starts to keep to himself all of the time. Wei Xu and Hou Cheng pressure him to tell them what's on his mind, and he reveals that he feels that he is responsible for Diaochan's leaving--if he hadn't told Hua Tuo at Sishui to leave the battlefield so that he could avenge Hua Xiong, Hua Tuo wouldn't have lived with vengeance on his mind all the time. He wouldn't have poisoned Guan Yu then, and Diaochan would have quarrelled with Lu Bu, and Diaochan wouldn't have left.

Zhuge Liang makes the Nanman submit and Lu Bu crushes the Qiang. There are minor skirmishes on the Wei-Wu border.

Lu Bu appears unresponsive to the news of Diaochan's leaving. He presents the four Gems of Legends, which he received from the Qiang, to his advisers, but Chen Gong says that they'll need some time to figure out how to use the power in the gems. Lu Bu orders Ju Shou to report to him every day with news about Wei and Wu.

Zhang Ren visits Lu Bu at his house. Lu Bu tells Zhang Ren to drink with him (which Zhang Ren declines), and muses that the next time he sees Diaochan, they'd be fighting each other on the battlefield. However, Zhang Ren points out that if Diaochan really wanted the Han's revival more than she loved Lu Bu, she would have exploited his feelings and coerced Lu Bu to fight for the Han. Instead, she understands Lu Bu's position perfectly well, and fears that her convictions, incompatible with Lu Bu's, would cause him to take a misstep. Leaving would have appeared to her as the best way out of the difficult situation.

In the Riverlands, Ma Chao pays a visit to his sister's corpse, and tells her that he will avenge her by destroying Lu Bu. Diaochan walks in and tells him that he is really only doing this to cope with the hurt in his heart rather than doing it for Yunlu's benefit. She then offers to take Yunlu's body back to Xiliang, but Ma Chao angrily says that he would have none of her help, since she was one of those who caused Yunlu's death. Just at that moment, Zhuge Liang and asks to have a word with Diaochan in private.

Zhuge Liang tells Diaochan that neither Wei nor Shu has a good chance of uniting the world, but he doesn't think Lu Bu would be able to bring lasting peace to the world. Therefore, he entrusts Diaochan with the task of passing on his military manual to a worthy person in case Wu does not emerge the victor. When Diaochan asks for the reason for choosing her instead of all the other people in Shu, Zhuge Liang replies that Diaochan has an aura of calmness that gives her a true perspective of the world.

In Xiliang, Lu Bu receives news that Zhuge Liang is attacking Han River. He is quite shocked at the speed of Zhuge Liang's arrival, given that his supply line is cut, but has no choice but to meet the Shu troops in battle.

Event: Upon elimination of all enemies, Kongming’s forces will appear on the northern mountain, and Ma Chao's troops will appear in the east.

Items: Viper Blade (defeat Zhang Bao)Beans x 3

Notes: The first part of the stage isn't difficult at all if you progress slowly and deal with the enemy units one group at a time. The challenge comes when the map is cleared and Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wei, Ma Chao, and Ma Dai appear with a bunch more troops. The main issue here is that Sima Yi will most likely be in a position where he can die quite quickly before you get to him, and once Sima Yi is defeated it's game over. So right before you deal the final blow to the last of the original units, place the rest of your troops strategically so you can cover Sima Yi and be in a good formation to take on the reinforcements (the Mas' chariots in the east are particularly nasty).

Story: Zhuge Liang is aware of his failing health due to overworking, and asks Jiang Wei if he is willing to succeed him. Jiang Wei is hesistant, and Zhuge Liang tells him to go think about it.

Wei and Wu declare war on each other and Sima Yi returns to Wei, but promises to return once Wu is defeated.

Lu Bu is left to deal with Zhuge Liang on his own now. Ju Shou and Ju Gu report that they can use their Legend Gems now, and Hua Tuo presents an upgraded catapult for Zhang Ren. Lu Bu jokes that Chen Gong is the only one who hasn't done any work, but in reality Chen Gong has been overworking himself in managing the internal affairs of Xiliang, to the point that Hua Tuo fears that he may die of overwork. Lu Bu tells Chen Gong to take a break, but Chen Gong refuses.

In the Shu camp, Ma Dai voids his agreement with Jiang Wei, seeing that Jiang Wei is really made to accomplish a lot more than just avenging the Ma clan. He offers to teach Jiang Wei the Thrust of Doom, the ultimate move in the Ma Family spearplay, for free. He tells Jiang Wei that if he truly feels indebted to them, he should do his best as prime minister and bring peace to his people.

Lu Bu, the mightiest warrior, prepares to meet Zhuge Liang, the mightiest strategist, in one last battle at Wuzhang Plains.

Notes: Every able man in Shu and his dog (well, his bear and tiger) is fighting you in this battle! It's a long but straightforward battle, with no ambushes as there are in the Legend of Cao Cao Wuzhang stage. So... grab a snack, get a drink, use the bathroom, make yourself comfortable and plunge into this annoyingly long battle! You have 50 rounds.

Zhuge Liang died after the battle at Wuzhang Plains. Lu Bu orders Chen Gong to get some rest (else he'dend up like Zhuge Liang), and announces that he will negotiate a ceasefire with Shu. Jiang Wei, who is now the Shu prime minister, withdraws to Chengdu. In other news, Wu lost in the battle against Wei and is retreating to the south of the River.

During their downtime, Ju Gu plays a psychology trick on poor Zang Ba. He's caught in the act by Ju Shou, who draws a parallel between what Ju Gu is doing and what Sima Yi does. Ju Gu argues that while he studies the same subject as Sima Yi, he is not evil like Sima Yi and he would not use his skills for evil purposes. Ju Shou is not moved by this argument and forbids his son from using these "evil mind tricks".

In Chengdu, Jiang Wei petitions Liu Shan to let him campaign northward against Lu Bu, despite the troops having barely recovered from the previous battles. He points out that if Wei manages to conquer Wu, Shu will need more land in order to hold out against Wei.

Unfortunately for Jiang Wei, neither Zhao Yun nor Wei Yan is too enthusiastic about supporting his campaign. Zhao Yun refuses to support this war of vengeance, and Wei Yan refuses to help since Jiang Wei would not grant his proposal to attack Chang'an via Ziwu Valley...

Jiang Wei marches north anyway. Sensing Jiang Wei's anxiety, Lu Bu devises a plan to take advantage of it. He spreads news that the Qiang are invading again and that everyone except for Wei Xu and a few others have gone to do battle with the Qiang. Jiang Wei falls for the trap and force-marches his men northward.

Right before the battle, though, Jiang Wei realizes that something is wrong. It's too much of a coincidence that the Qiang is appearing just as Shu is marching north, and it's unreasonable for Lu Bu to give Wei Xu a command again. Jiang Wei thinks he may turn the trap back on Lu Bu...

Notes:At the start of the stage, Lu Bu's men defeat the enemy cavalry, horsebow, transport, and supplies units, but it turns out that it is a trap. Poison gas emits from the supplies carts, and everyone except for Lu Bu in the southern group is poisoned and has their Attack lowered. Jiang Wei's ambush appears and Lu Bu challenges Jiang Wei to a duel. Jiang Wei is defeated, and all of the enemy units are thrown into confusion.

This is a pretty simple stage. Have Hua Tuo counteract the Attack-down status and go slaughter the helpless enemy. There's a high probability of rain in this stage, so it's worth giving Ju Shou his jewel.

Chen Gong shows up at the meeting hall instead of resting at home. When Lu Bu asks him why, he replies that he is needed in the attacks on Yangping and Jian'ge passes. Lu Bu is surprised by this proposal to attack Shu, but Chen Gong and Zhang Liao argue that since the enmity between Lu Bu's forces and the Riverlands cannot ever be resolved, they might as well take Shu as a base from which to defend against Wei and Wu.

Diaochan visits Ma Chao at his request. Ma Chao is about to leave for Yangping Pass despite his injuries, and has a favour to ask of Diaochan. Diaochan takes this opportunity to tell him that Ma Yunlu did not study military strategy because she liked it, but because she wanted to help protect those she loved. Ma Chao snaps that it is none of her business, but asks her to take Yunlu's body back to Xiliang.

Lu Bu prepares to attack Yangping Pass. Chen Gong is now able to use the Red Jewel, which is the source of his ultimate fire tactic. Ju Shou reports that Wei forced a river crossing but was dealt a sound defeat by Wu--which indicates, as Chen Gong interjects, that Wu only pretended to have lost earlier in order to lure the Wei forces into the trap. In order to turn the tides, Wei has even mobilized the Tiger Cavalry, which has yet to see combat in the Wei-Wu war due to their low capacity for naval combat. Lu Bu is happy at a potential Wei defeat, but Chen Gong warns him not to underestimate Wu.

As Lu Bu marches towards Yangping Pass, he wonders if Diaochan would be upset by his invasion of Shu...

There's a Chinese saying: "When there are no commanders left in Shu, even Liao Hua is made to lead the vanguard", meaning that a second-tier person will still need to take charge when there is no one else to do so. Well, here Liao Hua gets to be in the van, but there are still quite a few Shu generals to be dealt with!

The weather will be sunny throughout, so abuse Chen Gong's new spell, Phoenix. Because this will be the last time you get to use it, too.

After frying everyone in the northern pass, regroup before you charge down at Ma Chao. Getting the seal is a bit tricky since (a) twelve chariots will appear behind Ma Chao on the enemy's turn once you get close enough to him; (b) Hua Tuo has no chance against chariots; and (c) the Lu Bu/Ma Chao conversation will render Ma Chao close to invincible. What you need to do is lower Ma Chao's defence, trigger the two conversations, and use Chen Gong and Ju Shou's fire tactics to defeat him. Get your melee units to form a wall in front of Hua Tuo in anticipation of the chariot reinforcements.

After that's taken care of, take the west gate (in order to remove the geomancer) then the east gate. While you technically can split up, you have enough turns to do the gates one at a time. It's much less stress that way.

When the battle is over, Chen Gong dies, after advising Lu Bu to avoid Jian'ge but to detour around the pass over the mountains. It is imperative that they reach Chengdu quickly. Chen Gong leaves behind the Wheels of Wind, which he designed for Zhang Ren's use.

Somewhere, Diaochan wonders why Lu Bu's troops seem to have disappeared after taking Yangping Pass. She suspects correctly that Lu Bu is going straight for Chengdu, with the help of Zhang Ren's knowledge of the geography of the Riverlands.

Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, and Zhang Ni are stationed at Jian'ge, waiting for Lu Bu's attack, when they receive an anonymous letter stating that Lu Bu is detouring around Jian'ge and preparing to strike Chengdu directly. Zhao Yun announce that he will go slip into Yangping Pass to investigate the matter.

Just as Lu Bu's forces approach Chengdu, they receive news that Zhao Yun's troops are turning back for Chengdu. Since it would have been impossible for the news to leak, Ju Shou suggests that Shu does not have concrete evidence of their plans, but is only informed by someone who knows Lu Bu's military style intimately and who manages to guess his next step. There is no point in speculating who did it, nor in doubting your ability to take Chengdu. So go for it!

Notes:Straightforward stage: no ambushes, no surprises. The horsebows will actively come after you while most of the other units would stay put until you get into range. Take out the enemy one group at a time, keeping Zhao Yun stunned (or numbed) until you've defeated everyone else. Then grab the items and have Lu Bu go up to Zhao Yun to trigger the duel and get his Silver Armor.

On a hill outside Chengdu, Diaochan is deep in thought. When she left Chang'an all those years ago, she thought she'd stay with Lu Bu and revive the Han. But now she's left Lu Bu, and the Han is officially over, with the fall of Shu...

In the palace in Chengdu, Zhang Liao and Lu Bu find a letter from Liu Shan. In it, Liu Shan says that he has compiled data on the Riverlands, hoping that Lu Bu may use the data to help him govern Shu well.

Ju Shou runs in hurriedly, reporting that not only did Wei lose to Wu, but the Tiger Cavalry is entirely wiped out as well. Wu, on the other hand, lost not one man due to Lu Xun's ruse. Cao Pi is fleeing north with Sun Quan on his heels. Once Sun Quan has destroyed Cao Pi, Ju Shou notes, he would come for Lu Bu. Lu Bu summons everyone to the meeting hall.

It is confirmed that Cao Pi fled north of the Yangtze. Xiahou Dun was at the rear but was killed by Taishi Ci during the retreat. Lu Bu must decide on the next plan of action. Leaving Sun Quan alone means eventually having to deal with a Wu that has most of China under its control, but leaving Wei alone and attacking Wu would allow Wei to take advantage of the situation. Lu Bu argues that the only feasible way to go is to attack Wei and Wu at the same time. It's risky to open up two fronts, but given that his only advantage over either kingdom is in military might, he has no choice.

Lu Bu splits his force into two. The majority of his force will attack the core Wei cities, aiming to force Cao Pi into doing field battle, while Zhang Liao and the Trio go to hold off Sun Quan's advance.

Notes:Cao Xing automatically leaves battle at enemy's round 4, so don't count on taking both the fort and the city at the same time. Instead, rush everyone into the city, with Cao Xing picking up the rear while hitting the fighters that come after you from the fort.

When four or more of your units have entered the city, Xu Huang's group will come out of the fort. Let them come. Use the east gate as a chokepoint and hold out against them as well as Xiahou Yuan's group (which will have arrived by now). Go pick up the items in the city (and in the fort, for those ambitious enough to try) when you've gotten the enemy down to a manageable number.

Cao Xing's eyes were wounded by Xiahou Yuan in the battle, and not even Hua Tuo could do anything to save him from blindness. Lu Bu vows vengeance, and also to bring the war to an end soon so as to avoid losing more of his men.

In the south, Zhang Liao prepares to do battle with Sun Quan. He adopts Wei Xu's awful plan to trick Sun Quan into letting his guard down. And Sun Quan, as expected, falls for it...

Note: This joke of a stage is a nice breather between a bunch of pretty serious stages and one of the most difficult stages in the entire game. So enjoy it while it lasts. All of the Wu units are numbed, confused, and have decreased HP, attack and defence to start off with, so the only challenge here is to duel the enemy generals before you accidentally killed them...

Event:Enemies will be confused when Cheng Yu dies; then Sima Yi and Zhang He’s reinforcements will arrive in the south. Ju Gu and Lu Bu will go south to meet Zhang He, who dies in a duel with Lu Bu.

Items: Storm Rider (defeat Xiahou Yuan in duel)

Notes:Once you defeat Cheng Yu, the ambush party will be numbed, which may be a good thing if you're trying to get your people out of their reach. But this also means the arrival of Sima Yi and the reinforcements, and Lu Bu and Ju Gu will run to the south to engage Zhang He. Unless you have significantly reduced Cheng Yu's units on the top half of the map, you will get your ass handed to you.

I would recommend NOT defeating Cheng Yu. It's one thing if the ambush units are stunned, but they aren't, and archers can still fire at you when numbed. You need Lu Bu up there, and Ju Gu can help out by casting Confuse on enemy units to give you some breathing space. Ju Shou can also Numb a few.

This is what I did:

Round 1: Gao Shun goes south to draw fire away from main group (the 2 horsebows down there can deal big damage to your tacticians). Lu Bu and Zang Ba go north; the tacticians (including Zhang Ren) move up a couple of squares (to avoid the Bandit on the left) and huddle together. Hua Tuo casts Entrench on all of them. Ju Shou casts Downpour to prevent Cheng Yu from frying you.

Round 2: Gao Shun enjoys himself in the south. If you have both the Twin Flails, the Jade Seal, and Phoenix Robe on him, he'll be fine. Lu Bu goes to duel Xiahou Yuan, who dies (that'll teach him for hurting Cao Xing!) and you get Storm Rider. The Ju's stun/numb whoever is a threat, and Zang Ba and Zhang Ren try to take out at least one enemy unit between the two of them.

Next couple of rounds: Gao Shun move north slowly to intercept whoever's trying to bypass him to get to your vulnerable tacticians. With some good luck the weather will remain miserable so you can basically ignore Cheng Yu (Wind doesn't deal as much damage as, say, Scorch... Plus you can always hide in the woods!). The Ju's continue to stun/numb people until you can safely take on the enemy units one by one. Then rejoin Gao Shun and finish off the ambush units.

When most of the enemy is defeated but with Cheng Yu still alive, everyone but Ju Gu and Lu Bu head south. This is very important! When Sima Yi and Zhang He appear, Ju Gu will move to a spot where he can get hit by ALL the Fighters that appear on the river. The only way to save him is to station your guys between the tent there and the river. Since your units will take a while to get down there, you could even go defeat Xun You and Cao Pi at the top of the map if you so desire. Otherwise set formation by the river, then use Lu Bu and Ju Gu to send Cheng Yu off to face Jia Xu.

Sima Yi and Zhang He appear. Ju Gu and Lu Bu automatically head south to meet Zhang He, who dies in the duel against Lu Bu. If you have stationed your troops properly, Ju Gu will be well-protected. Wipe out the reinforcements, and head back north to destroy Cao Pi if you haven't done so already (you may be running low on turns. Get Hua Tuo to cast Haste on people).

Sun Quan regrets having caused Taishi Ci's death due to his own carelessness, and prepares an all-out attack on Zhang Liao's force. Zhang Liao is severely outnumbered, but has no choice but to try his best...

Notes:Don't be too scared by this giant Wu block party. Zhang Liao is a hero and there's a reason for the title of this chapter. Give him Scorcher + Mirror Armour + Jade Seal and watch him rock. His stats all increase to 255 at the start of the stage, and he kills a bunch of units even before you get to do anything. And after triggering his conversation with Sun Quan, his crazy stats increase even further by 20%! And if that's not enough, the Horsebowfoot Trio is allowed to retreat in this battle, so you don't even have to worry about protecting them. Just keep Zhang Liao in the tent and watch the Wu guys drop off like flies. Take your time and enjoy this stage. It's the last one you get with Zhang Liao.

The only issue here is that Lu Xun will cast Confuse, and if the weather doesn't cooperate, the strategists will fry Zhang Liao. For this reason you may consider equipping the Silver Armour instead. Depends on how much you trust your luck, I guess.

When Lu Xun retreats, he predicts that Zhang Liao will have to pay a heavy price for this sudden burst of kickassness...

Sima Yi has fled to Nanpi instead of Ye for some reason. Lu Bu and his team give chase, and Ju Shou is excused from this battle due to his recent loss. Lu Bu wonders: does it really matter to have someone to inherit your vision and dreams? Do convictions and hopes always pass on from one generation to the next...?

Notes:A short but annoying battle. Sima Yi's toys will keep regenerating and blocking you from getting to their master. Plus Sima Yi has high defence/dodge rate, has a beanbag, and is sitting in a castle.

The trick is to use Gao Shun (Phoenix Robe/Shield or 3 Tactics) as a bait in the south gate (which means don't pick him first when assigning units), luring the puppets and golems out of the city. Bonus points if he gets stunned by the golems as it means he wouldn't counterattack--you don't want them regenerating inside the city. Give Zhang Ren his wheels, Zang Ba the 6 Strategies, and Lu Bu Red Hare. Hua Tuo can get Storm Rider if you like, and should buff everyone with everything (speed, attack, and burst). After the puppets and golems have cleared the city, charge in through the west gate and throw everything you've got at Sima Yi (make sure to have Zang BaJeer him first).

Once Sima Yi is dead, the stage is over. Before he dies, Sima Yi reveals that he was the one who leaked the news to Shu, not Diaochan. He's not an evil person, he says, just one who would do anything to achieve his ambitions...

Lu Bu, having destroyed Wei completely, goes south to meet up with Zhang Liao.

Just as Lu Xun predicted, Zhang Liao is paying for the success of Xiaoyao with his very life. On his deathbed, he implores Lu Bu to go bring Diaochan home.

Sun Quan is angry about Zhang Liao crushing his dream singlehandedly, but resolves to control his anger and put up a good fight at Chibi.

Back in Lu Bu's camp, Ju Shou rejoins the team. Although he is still grieving for his son, he knows that he must help bring an end to the war and prevent further casualties. He presents Lu Bu with the Book of Sorcery, which he found in Ju Gu's belongings (so Ju Gu did write a book after all!).

Note:Once you're south of where Lu Xun and Dong Xi are, the enemy will begin to charge.

At the start of the stage, Gan Ning and Zhou Tai will challenge Lu Bu to a duel, which results in Gan Ning's death and Zhou Tai's defence lowered. Your side doesn't escape unscathed, though--both Lu Bu and Gao Shun's defence stats are lowered as well, but Lu Bu's defence and burst would both increase by 30.

First, eliminate Zhou Tai and his group of pirates. Have Hua Tuo cancel out the defence-down status by casting Entrench on both Lu Bu and Gao Shun. Use Lu Bu as a frontline meatshield; even though he has a severe terrain penalty on water, he's the one who can absorb the most hits from the pirates (thanks to the high HP). Gao Shun with Jade Seal can off Zhou Tai in one blow (and you want to do that early). The pirates tend to do melee attacks instead of casting Water when they're within attack distance, so use that to your advantage (i.e., have Hou Cheng or Lu Bu draw their attacks while everyone else catches up with the fight).

After you take care of the Zhou Tai's pirates, land on the eastern shore. Heal and buff as necessary, taking care not to cross the line south of Lu Xun and Dong Xi until you're ready. Have Hou Cheng and another person hold off the shore while everyone else charges in and send Sun Quan packing. Remember: Sun Quan holds the Art of War and is immune to tactics, so don't waste your MP on him.

If you really want the items, pick off the enemy units one-by-one, taking protection within the fences, and send someone fast to go around to collect the items before you finish off Sun Quan. However, you should have enough cash by now to not need those extra beans...

Only Jianye is left. Lu Bu is in his tent thinking of all the people he knew who died in this war, while Zhang Liao and Chen Gong appear in front of him. They confess that they did not join him with the purest of intentions, but at the end gave their very lives for the sake of his ambitions. And then they disappear.

And Diaochan appears. Lu Bu begs her to come back, saying he would renounce his conquest. Diaochan scolds him gently, saying that it is his responsibility to finish what he has begun... and then she is gone.

Zhang Ren hears some noise from outside and enters the tent, asking if everything is all right. Lu Bu tells him that Diaochan never wanted children lest they inherit all the pain and suffering that this generation creates. After professing his love for Diaochan again, he prepares for the final battle.

Notes:Your troops will be split up into three groups outside the city and won't be able to get to each other except through the middle. Troop assignment goes W-E-N-W-E-N-W-E.

The motto here, as with Chengdu and the Hero Path's Battle of Ye, is "Slow and steady wins the race." All enemy infantry and archer units stay put throughout, and the cavalry, fighter, and catapult units only move when they can get within attack range of one of your units. This is handy as you are pretty short-staffed on this one, when compared to the Hero Path Ye. So feel free to use up the 50 turns.

A good strategy is to use the units in the north to eliminate the enemy long-range units, in order to allow the other two contingents to enter the city safely. I had Song Xian (Mirror Armour) and Zhang Ren there together with Lu Bu, and used them to clear out the two catapults on either side as well as the mob of archers in the middle. When you're done with those you can even kill some of Ling Tong's cavalry.

The east side of the city is more lightly-defended than the west side--cavalry hit a lot harder than fighters. Take that into consideration when assigning units. I had Wei Xu (Viper Spear), Zang Ba, and Ju Shou in the west, and Gao Shun (Twin Flails/Phoenix Robe/Jade Seal), Hou Cheng, and Hua Tuo in the east. The exact line-up isn't important, as long as you go SLOW and avoid being mobbed.

Remember again that Sun Quan is immune to tactics, but can cast Heal and Blazes. Buff your guys before going for him.

Lu Bu unites China and becomes emperor. Just as he is settling down to managing his kingdom, Ju Shou resigns and goes off to be a hermit, having predicted that the House of Lu will only last one generation. Lu Bu shows neither outrage or surprise about that.

Gao Shun and Zang Ba, it turns out, are leaving as well. Zang Ba, having realized that he's not made to work in office, is off to Chang'an in order to help farmers there clean up the land that was poisoned by Jia Xu's toxic plants. Gao Shun is going to travel around the country to look for Diaochan. But before he leaves, he has some goodbyes to say to the old gang.

Cao Xing is home alone while Xiahou En and Xiahou Jie barges in and demands Cao Xing's life, saying that he is indirectly responsible for Xiahou Dun's death. Fortunately, Gao Shun arrives in time and takes care of the assassins. Cao Xing, while not hurt physically in the incident, is now filled with a desire to exterminate all of Xiahou Dun's relations.

Meanwhile, Hua Tuo receives a visit from his teacher, who asks Hua Tuo if his continuous grudge against Guan Yu isn't a dishonouring of the convictions that Hua Xiong left behind...

The Huns invade China. Lu Bu wishes to go fight them himself, but worries that he hasn't completely come up with a way to deal with the family members of the Houses of Wei, Shu, and Wu. Cao Xing, seeing his opportunity, volunteers to take on the task instead. Hua Tuo, probably remembering the lesson he got from his teacher, is not sure this is a good idea.

Cao Xing devises a harsh plan for dealing with the remnants of the House of Wei, of which the Xiahous are members. This leads Hua Tuo to come talk to him. Hua Tuo points out that the only reason for the plan to be this harsh is to stop Xiahou Dun's family from further revenge-seeking. Cao Xing gets defensive--after all, his blindness already evens out with his shooting of Dun's eye! Hua Tuo then points out that Cao Xing's worries are baseless, and that the Xiahous fear Cao Xing more than Cao Xing fears them.

Lu Bu scores victory against the Huns, often by risking his life and charging straight at the enemy commanders. No one can stand up to his peerless might, and even the khan of the Huns perished by Lu Bu's Thrust of Doom. The Huns would stay out of China for as long as Lu Bu lives.

Gao Shun comes to see Zang Ba, bringing Wei Xu with him. Wei Xu admits that he quit the military long ago, realizing that he's not made for leadership. He brings news that he, Song Xian, and Hou Cheng have been reunited with their families. Song Xian has become a master archer after studying with Cao Xing, and even became the head trainer for all archers in the kingdom. Gao Shun tells that, even though Cao Xing's sight hasn't been restored, he has become a different person after forgiving the Xiahous and showing them mercy. Gao Shun then asks Zang Ba how his agriculture project is coming along. Zang Ba is just about to explain how futile his efforts has seemed, when a child runs in and announces that the plants are sprouting again!

Lu Bu pays a visit to the Ma Family Graveyard, escorted by Zhang Ren. Ma Yunlu's body has apparently been brought back and buried, and Lu Bu reasons that Diaochan is the only one who could have done it. Zhang Ren suggests that it's most likely that Ma Chao bade her to do it. Lu Bu the muses on how, though he has desired strength in order to protect his friends, now that his strength is matchless his friends are gone...

Back in Chang'an, Wei Xu complains that a little beansprout is nothing to be excited about, but Zang Ba points out that the beansprout signifies something larger--that the toxins in the soil are receding. Although the sprout is inedible, it represents a glimmer a hope in a field of darkness, and is uplifting enough just to look at.

Many years later. Lu Bu is concluding a meeting with Cao Xing. Lu Bu is getting old and sick, even though he has been studying Hua Tuo's medical manual. Hua Tuo, it turns out, has died years ago, having lost the purpose for life. However, he did finish his book, and his final will was to distribute it as widely as possible. Cao Xing leaves the palace, thinking about how it was Hua Tuo who freed him from his fear and hate towards the Xiahou family...

Diaochan appears before Lu Bu. She tells him that this is not the end, but the beginning, and beckons Lu Bu to follow her...

Ju Shou sees Lu Bu's star fall.

Since Lu Bu has no heir, China falls into chaos as warlords rise to fight for the land again. Eventually, though, a young man reunites the realm with some incredible military leadership, and establishes a new dynasty...

Lady Wu wrote:You mean I don't have to declare the anchor, but I can still use it, right?Do you think it's worth it to have a "return to the stage list" option? Or should "return to the very top" be good enough?

Yeah, you don't have to declare #top. Actually, doing so would even cause the page to fail validation.

How would you like to handle navigation through the walkthrough? There will be a stage list, but some means of getting from one section to the next might be appropriate. I guess that wouldn't have to be very complicated at all. As I consider the stage list I wonder how often people will have to reference it--they'll probably be scrolling down once they reach their desired destination. Perhaps a return to top is all that is needed.

James wrote:Yeah, you don't have to declare #top. Actually, doing so would even cause the page to fail validation.

How would you like to handle navigation through the walkthrough? There will be a stage list, but some means of getting from one section to the next might be appropriate. I guess that wouldn't have to be very complicated at all. As I consider the stage list I wonder how often people will have to reference it--they'll probably be scrolling down once they reach their desired destination. Perhaps a return to top is all that is needed.

Ok, took out the #top declaration. Not sure what to do with the navigation--What do you mean by "getting from one section to the next"? In terms of stages? Paths?

"Whatever you do, don't fall off the bridge! It'll be a pain to try to get back up again." - Private, DW 8